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Sunday, 18 March 2018

Rhian and Kenny's Humanist Wedding at Colstouin House

I was very touched to get a thank you message from Kenny and Rhian the other day, illustrated by these very atmospheric photos by the talented Claire Juliet Paton.

They chose to get married on the first day of the Six Nations, when Wales and Scotland met in Cardiff, so that required very careful planning.

They very sensibly decided to have the ceremony at 1.00 pm which meant that the guests could all watch the match at 2.30.

OK, the Welsh guests were probably a little happier than the Scots by 4.00 pm, but as you will see, it didn't detract from Rhian and Kenny's truly moving and creative ceremony.

Just over a month on from the day and we’re both still filled with real joy and pride over what our day and our ceremony ended up being.

I remember thanking Tim immediately after the ceremony and saying how fantastic it had been and he replied, ‘Of course it was – you wrote it!'

That sums up the whole experience.

From our first visit to Tim we were encouraged to do what we wanted to and it helped make for a beautiful, emotional, personal experience that we wouldn’t swap for anything.

Tim offered guidance where required but overall just gave us the reassurance we needed that the ceremony we prepared would work. And it did!

We were complimented so many times on how enjoyable everyone found it. There were tears, laughter and singing from everyone in the room.

One of our favourite moments, however, happened even before the ceremony. We had chosen not to spend the night or morning separately and to enter the ceremony room at the same time. This meant we were able to grab some time immediately before the ceremony, together with Tim.

He immediately sensed how nervous we each were and set about settling us down with his trademark humour. Tim then let us have a dry run of putting the rings on so we didn’t mess up with the wrong hands. Of course, this all ended in tears (of joy) and make-up had to be hastily fixed. It was a beautiful moment and it helped prepare us for doing it again in a room full of people.

Tim remained a hugely calming, guiding influence through the ceremony, casually and calmly directing us where to stand and what to do without it even really being noticeable. It helped give us complete faith that everything would go smoothly.

His advice to take in the moment, enjoy it and to also look at everyone else enjoying it too stuck in our minds throughout and it was great to see our friends and families laughing and crying along with us.

Looking back, we can’t imagine having done things differently and can only offer our complete thanks to Tim for guiding us through the whole process.

Once again we'd like to offer you our thanks for helping to make such a special day.

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About Me

Since October 2005, I've been conducting funerals, naming ceremonies and weddings as a Humanist Celebrant, and it's the most enjoyable and rewarding work I've ever done. If you'd like to get in touch, please click here to send me an email, or call 0777 0555 224